Get Out

Fun Things To Do And Great Places To Discover Nature

• Hang up a suet feeder to attract woodpeckers to your yard.
• Take a hike in the woods and look for last summer’s bird nests.
• Try winter trout fishing. In early November, grab your favorite grown-up and find a stocked community lake near you at short.mdc.mo.gov/ZoH.
• Milkweed pods burst in November. Collect some and spread the fluffy seeds wherever you’d like to see monarch butterflies next summer.
• See and learn about bald eagles at one of six Eagle Days around the state, and visit 13 other locations where you can watch eagles in the wild. Visit mdc.mo.gov and search “eagle days” for locations, dates, and times.
• Looking for more ways to have fun outside? Find out about
• Discover Nature programs in your area at mdc.mo.gov/events.

What Is It?

• My X-shaped tracks don’t tell where I’m going.
• My tail keeps me steady when I run through the brush.
• I live where it’s rocky, and the wind’s often blowing.
• And I eat lots of critters that you wouldn’t touch.

With two toes forward and two toes backward, the greater roadrunner’s feet leave tracks that are hard to follow. Its long tail acts like a rudder as it chases after prey, which can include venomous critters like scorpions and snakes. In Missouri, roadrunners live in the southwestern part of the state in dry, rocky areas called glades. Unlike the cartoon roadrunner, the real birds don’t go beep, beep — they coo. Learn more at mdc.mo.gov/field-guide.

Critter Corner

American Black Bear

In Missouri, black bears live mainly in the Ozark region. Will they be hibernating in November and December? Yes and no. Pregnant mama bears start denning in November, but most bears will keep foraging as long as they can find food. When food gets scarce, all bears look for a place to sleep until spring. Learn more about bears, including how to be bear aware and how to avoid attracting bears to your yard, at mdc.mo.gov/field-guide.